Children's peer relationships in elementary school are important to promote their academic learning and their social-emotional development. Many children with or at risk for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have difficulty being accepted and getting along with their classroom peers. This study tested a classroom intervention that aimed to help improve the peer relationships of elementary school age children, with a particular focus on children with or at risk for ADHD.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
558
Using a consultation model, study staff members met with teachers approximately twice per month and observed them an additional two times per month. The goal was to help teachers implement practices that create a socially accepting classroom climate for children.
Children's Peer Relationships - Peer Report
Assessed through peer sociometric interviews. The proportion of positive nominations, negative nominations, friendships, and the average liking rating received from peers will be calculated. More positive nominations and friendship nominations, fewer negative nominations, and higher liking ratings are considered to be positive outcomes.
Time frame: Change from baseline to post-test (approximately 7 months after baseline)
Children's Peer Relationships - Child Self-Report
Assessed through child self-report on the Classroom Life Measure. There are 9 items about peer relationships, each answered from a scale of 0-4. Scores range from 0-36 where higher numbers indicate more positive outcomes.
Time frame: Change from baseline to post-test (approximately 7 months after baseline)
Children's Peer Relationships - Teacher Report
Assessed through teacher report on the Dishion Social Acceptance Scale. The teacher estimates the proportion of classmates that like, dislike, and are neutral toward the child. Higher proportions of liking and lower proportions of disliking and neutrality represent positive outcomes.
Time frame: Change from baseline to post-test (approximately 7 months after baseline)
Children's Academic Functioning - Teacher Report
Assessed through teacher report on the Academic Competence Evaluation Scales. This is a normed measure with 10 items about interpersonal skills, 8 about engagement, and 11 about motivation, each rated on a 1-5 scale. Each subscale represents the sum of the items on the subscale, and higher scores indicate positive outcomes.
Time frame: Change from baseline to post-test (approximately 7 months after baseline)
Children's Academic Functioning - Teacher Report
Assessed through teacher report on the Academic Performance Rating Scales. This is a 19 item scale with each item rated on a 1-5 metric. Some items are reverse scored. Higher scores indicate positive outcomes.
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Time frame: Change from baseline to post-test (approximately 7 months after baseline)
Children's Academic Functioning - Grades
Assessed through grades on children's report cards. Higher grades indicates positive outcomes.
Time frame: Change from baseline to post-test (approximately 7 months after baseline)
Children's Social Behaviors - Observations
Assessed through behavioral observations on children's classroom behaviors. This is a proportion score indicating children's off-task, interfering, defiant, and verbally aggressive behaviors. Lower scores indicate positive outcomes.
Time frame: Change from baseline to post-test (approximately 7 months after baseline)
Children's Social Behaviors - Observations
Assessed through behavioral observations on messages written by children to one another, on codes representing the connection, support, and positivity in the messages children receive. Higher scores on these indicators and lower scores on indicators of platitudes indicate positive outcomes.
Time frame: Change from baseline to post-test (approximately 7 months after baseline)
Children's Problem Behaviors - Teacher Report
Assessed through teacher report of ADHD symptoms on the ADHD-4 Rating Scale. There are 18 symptom items, each rated on a scale of 0-3. Lower scores indicate positive outcomes.
Time frame: Change from baseline to post-test (approximately 7 months after baseline)